Business Desk

Summerset gets consent for $80 million Wigram village

Summerset Group Holdings, the listed retirement village, has been granted resource consent for its $80 million Wigram village, its first in Christchurch. The new site will have some 200 units, including villas, townhouses and care apartments as well as 50 hospital-level beds, the Wellington-based company said in a statement. Building will begin next month with first homes opening late next year. …

Read More »

ANZ Bank agrees to $19M settlement over sale of interest rate swaps to farmers

ANZ Bank New Zealand has agreed to a $19 million settlement with the Commerce Commission after an investigation into the marketing and sale of interest rate swaps to rural customers between 2005 and 2009. Under the settlement the local unit of Australia & New Zealand Banking Group will establish an $18.5 million fund to pay affected rural customers and pay …

Read More »

NZX trading volumes, values fall in November

The volume and value of cash trading on New Zealand’s stock exchange fell in November from a year earlier, with activity down across the board. The total number of trades dropped 16 percent to 118,248 in November from the same month in 2013, for a total value of trading worth $3.2 billion, down some 39 percent from a year earlier, …

Read More »

NZ dollar falls on weak dairy auction, stronger greenback

The New Zealand dollar fell after prices for the nation’s largest commodity export declined in the latest GlobalDairyTrade auction overnight. The kiwi weakened to 77.91 US cents at 8am in Wellington, from 78.76 cents at 5pm yesterday. The trade-weighted index dropped to 78.25 from 78.71 yesterday. Dairy product prices slipped to a fresh five-year low in the latest fortnightly auction, because of a drop in …

Read More »

Dairy product prices hit lowest level since August 2009

Dairy product prices slipped to a fresh five-year low in the latest GlobalDairyTrade auction, because of a drop in whole milk powder. The auction follows figures showing New Zealand’s terms of trade fell from a 40-year high in the third quarter, led by an 11 percent drop in prices of exported dairy products. In November, New Zealand commodity prices fell …

Read More »

NZ dollar little changed vs. Australian dollar after RBA talks down currency

The New Zealand dollar was little changed against its trans-Tasman counterpart after the Reserve Bank of Australia kept its key rate at a record low, while saying a weaker currency was desirable to foster balanced economic growth. The kiwi traded at 92.53 Australian cents at 5pm in Wellington from 92.65 cents immediately before the release, and 92.45 cents yesterday. It …

Read More »

RBA says Australian dollar near 4 1/2-year low needs to fall further

The Reserve Bank of Australia said its currency, near a 4 1/2-year low, remains over-valued and needs to decline further to assist the economy across the Tasman, which is growing at a moderate pace. The central bank kept its cash rate unchanged as expected at a record low 2.5 percent, where it has been since August 2013. Governor Glenn Stevens issued a statement …

Read More »

MARKET CLOSE:NZ shares rise, led by Chorus after Comcom draft, Spark drops

New Zealand shares rose, led by Chorus, after the Commerce Commission lifted the amount the network operator can charge on its regulated copper lines. Spark New Zealand fell on the regulator’s decision. The NZX 50 Index edged up 0.413 points, or 0.01 percent, to 5430.035. Within the index, 24 stocks rose, 19 fell and seven were unchanged. Turnover was $146 million. In a draft determination issued this …

Read More »